England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
