England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
