The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations 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 subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope 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 as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
