England opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made this message in several interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth 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 some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide 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 was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
