England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "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 some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "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 several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
