The English opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
