England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three Tests.
A loss will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
