The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
