England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "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 media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, he said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
