The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed 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 now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
