England opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
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 side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
