England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, 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," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed 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.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike 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 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
