England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
