England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England 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 in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
