The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
