England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, 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.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know 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. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
