England opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "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," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
