England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "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 a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon'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 total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
