The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"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 Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable 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 Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
