The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
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. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
