England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, after the opener 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 press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
