England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes 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 a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
