England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in several interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
