England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"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 could do something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia 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 eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," 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 will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
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 – 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 notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
