England opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
