England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media 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 England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot 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 against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
