The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made this message in several conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored 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 anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
