The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "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 produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
