England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
But, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, he said his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
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 completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
