England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth 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 media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
