England opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England'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 – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
