England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss 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 in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after 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. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" observation after England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
