As they chased a world record 435 runs to win, England found themselves at 207 for six by stumps, needing a miracle to prevent another loss following their defeats in Perth and Brisbane.
Australia has not lost a Test match on home soil to England in 15 years, and Crawley articulated that it was easy to see why.
“Clearly, we’re in a tough spot, so it’s disappointing right now,” he shared with reporters after scoring 85.
“They’re an incredibly strong side. I always knew it would be challenging coming up against them here.
“They were the favorites going into (the series), and they have shown why.
“They played exceptionally well and made it very difficult for us.
“Of course, we’ve been a bit short of our best, but a lot of credit has to go to them. They haven’t allowed us to reach our potential.”
England is 228 runs away from their victory target, with Will Jacks (two not out) and Jamie Smith (11 not out) responsible for carrying on the fight on a day-five pitch that’s only expected to get tougher.
After struggling with a pair of ducks in the series-opener in Perth, Crawley bounced back with scores of 76 and 44 in Brisbane, keeping England’s hopes alive late on day four in Adelaide until he was stumped off Nathan Lyon’s bowling, who sparked a late collapse with a remarkable spell of 3-17.
A number of Crawley’s teammates have faced difficulties with the bat, including number three Ollie Pope, who was caught in the slips for 17 on Saturday after scoring three in the first innings.
Pope’s series average currently stands at 20.83, with his low scores and some soft dismissals raising concerns about his spot in the Test setup.
However, Crawley expressed confusion over the scrutiny directed at Pope, describing him as an “unbelievably good player who plays in a challenging role”.
“It seems like Pope gets … a hard time sometimes,” he remarked about the Surrey right-hander.
“I’m trying to understand why — he’s been performing well over the last year. He’s scored big hundreds when we’ve needed him against tough opposition.
“While he’s certainly wanting more from himself, we must not overlook some of the impressive innings he has played.”
