England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "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 a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
