The English opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate 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 media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said 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 definitely view 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 front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
