England opener 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 this message in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth 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 everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
