England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
