England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
A loss will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted 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 will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming 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 questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
