England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
