The English opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of his team'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 sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after the opener scored 85 on the fourth 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," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
