England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth 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 press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia require four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
