England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
However, following 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. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – 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. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
