The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes 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 needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 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 a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane 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 the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
