The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "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 will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion 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 to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
