The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "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 definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
