The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
