England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. 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 triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed 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 eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
