The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after his side were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
