England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the 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, Stokes stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England 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," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played 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 press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
