The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break 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 urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
