England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"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
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches 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. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be 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 hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope 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 good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
