England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener made a knock of 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," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
