The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
