The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let 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 the England leader.
However, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie 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 knock on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
