England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, after the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
This series 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 so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
