The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, 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 needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years 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. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
