England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted 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 the England leader.
However, following 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. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
