The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"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
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia 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 eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
