England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "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 finished.
