The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in several conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England 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. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
