England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "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 made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "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 game."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
