The English opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty 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 order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
