England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
