England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in several conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
