England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let 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.
However, after Crawley 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 everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
