England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
