England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate 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 anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
A loss will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK 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 modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score 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 order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
