The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 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. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said 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 he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
