England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
