The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed 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 staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
