England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
