England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "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 some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were 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 immediate future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
