The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener 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 anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
