England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in several interviews following England's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before 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 alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series 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 respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
