England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, following Crawley made 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 anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
