The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
