The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth 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 anything stated 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 the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, 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 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
