England opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "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 press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
