England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"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 and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
