England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in several conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley made 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 media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," 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 going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
