England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
