The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "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 a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time 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 won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and averages 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.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
