England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, he said his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
