England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.
This means, Australia require four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
