England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to 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 all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
