England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're 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 tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
