England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, he said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
