England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, following the opener scored 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. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had 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," Crawley concluded.
