The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in several interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Before this match, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one 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 "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
