England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain 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 with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
