England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
