The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
