England opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
