England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made those words in several conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 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.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
