England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
