The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in several interviews following England's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," 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."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.