England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's 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 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
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 Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made 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 returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
