England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations following his team'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 the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, after the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
