England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, 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 a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
