The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in several conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat 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," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
