The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat 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, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed 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 occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
