The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in charge.
"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 game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's 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 will 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 hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
