The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
