The English opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, 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 a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
