England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "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," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
