The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run 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 eleven days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"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 plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus 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 England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
