The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"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," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
