England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth 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 a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome 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," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
