England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, he revealed his team 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 head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
