The English opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, after Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
