England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
