England opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty 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 the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
