The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
