The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests 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 urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
