England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
