The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "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 like that," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
