The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
