The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "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 media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
