The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
