England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
