The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley scored 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 media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side 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 matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
