England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
