England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made this message in several interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, following the opener scored a knock of 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 press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
