The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made those words in several conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
