The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made this message in several conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
