The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, after the opener scored 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. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
