England opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following the opener made 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," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
This series 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 sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
