England opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"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 a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
