The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching 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 made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers 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 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
