The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in several interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
