The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia require four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
