The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a break to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
