The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
