The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
