England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
