The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
