England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score 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 order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
