The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made this message in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following the opener made 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. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough 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 Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
