England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, 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.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked 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 head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
