The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
