The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, following the opener made a knock of 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. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
