The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, 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 media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
