England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team'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 play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.