The English opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, after the opener made a knock of 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," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach 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."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
