England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored 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 everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
