England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll 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 tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
