England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
However, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
