England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
