The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England 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 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, 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 just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
