England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple interviews following England's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed 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 modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
