England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "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.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
This series 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 the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
