England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil 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 series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
