The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in several conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
