England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"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" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
