England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 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. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
