The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, 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," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
