England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England fell 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 destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
