England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley made 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 a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
