England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
