England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, he said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
