England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
