England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England fell 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 eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
