The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
But, after Crawley scored 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. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
