The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made this message in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "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 a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
