The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
However, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians 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 eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," 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 entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
