The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
