England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with 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 outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man 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 as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
