England opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, 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 late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
