The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following Crawley made a knock of 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 anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was 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.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
