The English opening batter 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 those words in multiple interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
