England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win 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.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
