England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in several conversations following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
