England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
