England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, following Crawley made 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. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last 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 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," 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 will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
