England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent 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 were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
