The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
