England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
But, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
