The English opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two 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 stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
