England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"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
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
