The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 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 anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
