England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
