England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a break to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
