The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"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 produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
