England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
