England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
