England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, after the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation after his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
