The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored 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. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
