England opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
