England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
But, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Before this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead after three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
