England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"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 very, very good team. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
