The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate 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 media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
