England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, after the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
