England opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley 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 media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
