England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
