England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's 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 something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 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.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
