The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in several conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
