England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth 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 anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said 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 how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
