England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians 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 occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
