The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
