The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in several interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
But, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. 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 we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
