The English opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 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. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – 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 produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
