England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews following his team's loss 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 now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "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," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
