England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
