England opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
