England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after the opener 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. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
