The English opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series 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 "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
