The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards 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 team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
