England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation after his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
