The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
