England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"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 some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – 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 good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
