England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
