England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
