England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
