The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "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 produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
