The English opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes 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've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
