England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches 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 urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 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.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
