England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
