The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
But, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
