England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, 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.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
