The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "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 Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
