England opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
