England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, 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 a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
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 remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
