The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
