England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment 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 made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
