The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," 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 going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
