England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
