The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
