England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
