England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"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 issued his "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
