England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, after the opener 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 anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
