The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Before this match, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
