The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, 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 media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
