The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, he said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
