England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
