England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning 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. This is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
