England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
