England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from captain Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made this message in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 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 this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has 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 Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
