England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged 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 three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
