The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "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 several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
