England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
This means, Australia require four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place 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, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
