England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, following the opener made 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 press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
