England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run 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 only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests 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 won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
