England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "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."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
