The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several 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 the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
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 England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
