England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
