England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
