England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "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 with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
