England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
