England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, 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 media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," 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 Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
