The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "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 some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
