England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
