England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "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," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. 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 win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
