England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, following Crawley scored a knock of 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 press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
