England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
