The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country 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 play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
