England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
However, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
