The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, after the opener scored 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," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain 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 prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
