England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth 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 some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
