The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a break to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided 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 sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
