The English opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple interviews following England's loss in the second Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth 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 a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
