England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
