The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
