England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
