The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "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 Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
