The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley made 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. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
In 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 six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
