The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, after the opener made 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 everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant 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 the last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with 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.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
