The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, 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 press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
