England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after England were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
