England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"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.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – 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 some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
