England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is 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 definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
