The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, after 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 a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
