The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
However, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"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 Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes 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.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, 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 an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"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 significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
