England opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, 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 Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 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 order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
