England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored 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 anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets 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 target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
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 in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
