England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
