The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope 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 boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
