The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, he said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
