The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "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 a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
