England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he revealed his players 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.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia 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 notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
