The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
