England opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple interviews following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
