England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score 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 six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
