The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
