England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations 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 asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning 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 to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
