England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "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," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
