England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
