England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley 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. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie 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 innings on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know 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 noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
