The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"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 stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
