England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's 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 Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
