England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
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 "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike 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.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England 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.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man 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 an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
