The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, 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 day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
