England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple conversations following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against 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, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley made 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 a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
