The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
