The English opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment 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 third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
