England opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss 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 matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
