The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
But, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
