England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome 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," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, 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 day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
