England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie 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 innings on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
