England opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following Crawley 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. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
