The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
