The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
