The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
