The English opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
