England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
