The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage 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 series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
