England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener made 85 on the fourth 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 everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
