The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, 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 some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
