England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following the opener made a knock of 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 everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one 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 under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
