England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out 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 subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
