England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
