England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made this message in several conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "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 press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, he revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
