England opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"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 "weak men" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
