England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
