The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "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 some skepticism," he added.
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 subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory 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 occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
