The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
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, he said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
