England opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England fell the initial matches 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 urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
