England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
