England opening batter 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 those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
However, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
