England opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, after Crawley 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 anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
