The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth 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 press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be 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 always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
