England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope 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 half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
