The English opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.
Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
