England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "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 late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary 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, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
