The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "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 Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle 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 completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're 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. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
