England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, 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 as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
