The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach 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 were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
