England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior 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. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
