England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, after the opener scored 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," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
