England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
