England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple interviews following England's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
