The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending 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 in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
