England opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said 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 going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages 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 the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
