The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, 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 extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth 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.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
