England opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple 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 third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
However, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
