The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane 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.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
