The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, 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 featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," 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," he concluded.
