England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple interviews following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "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
The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
