England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations 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 stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
