The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
