England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won 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 staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
