England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate 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.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
