England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
