The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made this message in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
