The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made this message in multiple conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, 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.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman 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 Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
