England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory 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.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
