England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, 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 a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
