England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
