England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple interviews following England's loss in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, he said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – 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 decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
