England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made this message in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed 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, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "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 will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
