The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
