England opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
