England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
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 let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
However, 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 anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
