England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a break to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
