England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
