England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
