England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
