England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in several interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate 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 press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test 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 fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
