The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel 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 difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "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. This is talk externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
