England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" 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 three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
