England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"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. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
