England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated 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 fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
