The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate 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 press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains 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 inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
