The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, Stokes said 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 series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
