The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
