England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
