The English opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following the opener scored 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 press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was 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 formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
