England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, 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 some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
