England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, 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 played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"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 produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
