The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – with England fell 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 urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
