The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches 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 each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
