England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley made 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 everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
