England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, 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, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
