England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
