England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination 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 difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
