England opener 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 made this message in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
