England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
A loss will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
