The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
