England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to Noosa 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 series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
