England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
