The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake 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 hard touring here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
