England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate 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 a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes 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 Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing 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 destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – 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 to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
