England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"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 a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break 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 asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead after three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.