England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
