England opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
