England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, after the opener made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, 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 press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
