England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "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 press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time 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 triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
