England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, 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 media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia 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 target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term future 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, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
