The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has 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. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
