The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought 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 cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
