The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "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 to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
