The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 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. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
