The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "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 media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, he said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging 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," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was 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 with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
