England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
