England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special 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 Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
