England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes made this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "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," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total 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 lead with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
