The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following Crawley made a knock of 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. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks 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 Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
