England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 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.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
