England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test 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 Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century 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 recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
