England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus 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 noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's 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."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
