The English opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia 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 – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
