England opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, 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," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, he said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain 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," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
