The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in several conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at 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 required," said Stokes.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "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," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope 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 featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.