England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
