England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, after Crawley scored 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. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
