England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations 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 team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
