England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate 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 some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – after 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 outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," 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 chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
