England opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line 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. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake 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 hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
