England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth 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.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner 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 total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
