England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after the opener made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "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 some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia require four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
