The English opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted 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."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
