England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
