England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, following the opener made 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 anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
