The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
But, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
