England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Before this match, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-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 total of 435.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
