The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room 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 match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
