The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
