The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
