England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made those words in several interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
