England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"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 Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
