England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
