The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made this message in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, 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 some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. 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 Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings 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 on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 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 recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
