The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "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.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
