England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation after England were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
