England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, 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," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
