England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 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 anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
