The English opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted 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 the England leader.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 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. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
