The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate 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 some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
