The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in several conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope 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 he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
