The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 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. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend 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 only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
