England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated 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.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"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.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after his side were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "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 will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
