England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
