England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as 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 place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages 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 lower average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
