The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
