England opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to 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 successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
