The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
