England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
But, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, 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 an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
