The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
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 England squad afterwards went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, 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 Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
