England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
