England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, after the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation after his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 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 overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made 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 order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
