The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
