The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days 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. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
