The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following the opener 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. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record against Australia.
In 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 played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
