England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after the opener made a knock of 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 media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, 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 Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country 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 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, 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 since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
