England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after 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 everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
