England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's drought in Australia 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 rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
