The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two 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 wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to 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 in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
