The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, after the opener scored 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. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
