The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in several conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
A loss will extend England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
