The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked 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. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
