England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's 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."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
