England opening batter 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 made this message in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated 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," remarked Stokes.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted 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.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
