The English opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
