The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in several interviews following England's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after 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 anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
