England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, he said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
