England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
