England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews following England's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"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.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 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 insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
