England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "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 a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations 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 asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
