England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
