The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" 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 Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"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."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
