England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
