England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
