England opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "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
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
