The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate 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.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
