England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth 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 everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
