England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
