The English opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
