England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"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.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
