England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
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. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
