The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, 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 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
