The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, 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
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
