The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding 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 series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
However, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley'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 – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team'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 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
