England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate 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 some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead after three matches played.
A loss will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made 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 the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
