The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in several conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation after England were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
