The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
