England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "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 on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
