England opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 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 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
