England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within 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, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
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 afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win 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 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
