England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined 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 staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
