England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series 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 Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
