England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
