The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"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 played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
