England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
