England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in several conversations following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a break to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
