England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
