The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching 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
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
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 so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
