The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "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 produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
