England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "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," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
