England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following the opener made 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," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player 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, the opener insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
