England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made this message in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked 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 McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
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. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
