England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in several interviews following England's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Before this match, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
