The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "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," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
