The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations 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 the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score 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 order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
