The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
