England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "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'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
