England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England 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 instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here 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 difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.