England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "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 if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
