The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
