England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England 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 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "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 played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
