England opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
