England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. 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 win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
