The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley made 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. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and 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 England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
