England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, he said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure 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 modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
