England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, after Crawley made 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 press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "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 produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
