The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man 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 as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
