The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
But, after the opener made 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 a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, 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 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
