England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK 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.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
