England opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "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.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
