England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent 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 wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
