The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
