England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played 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 being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
