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England's captain Ben Stokes is said to be "exhausted" but still "fit and ready" to deliver overs, per assistant coach Jeetan Patel, even though he abstained from bowling on the third day of a pivotal Ashes Test.

Stokes deployed five other bowlers as the Australian side moved to 271-4 in their follow-on, establishing a commanding lead of 356 runs at the Adelaide Oval.

The dynamic player had earlier battled for more than five hours at the crease across two days to compile 83 runs in England's first innings.

A Grueling Innings

Throughout his marathon 198-ball stay, the veteran cricketer was struck on the head by Mitchell Starc and experienced muscle cramps. He also needed a period off the field on Friday after banging his head on the turf while trying to field the ball.

"He might be a bit tired and just require some time to himself right now," commented Patel.

"From what I understand, he's quite ready to bowl. I think he's just really exhausted and he's expended a great deal out of himself to get through this point in the game."

Past Fitness Concerns

Considering his complicated injury past – Stokes has not been fully available in any of England's last four series – any indication the star all-rounder might be nursing an issue attracts significant attention.

Always keen to be in the heat of battle, Stokes' decision not to bowl on Friday was curious given it was England's last chance to stay in the Ashes series.

At trailing 2-0 and requiring a victory in Adelaide to keep their hopes of regaining the urn intact, England had given up a first-innings deficit of 85 runs.

"My understanding is he operates at 100%," said Patel. "If he thinks he can't do it at 100%, I don't think he's going to do it. That's likely where he's at."

The tourists could have stayed within the match by bowling out Australia for approximately 240 in their second knock and had faint chances at certain scorelines, only for the hosts to pull away through Travis Head's unbeaten 142.

Although England bowled 66 overs, Stokes did not use himself.

"He abstained from bowling but that's perhaps a different discussion with him," noted ex-New Zealand player Patel.

"I don't actually know. We all know he never performs at 80%. Maybe he thought he was a risk, so he didn't bowl."

Past Instances and Current Strain

The most recent occasion Stokes curtailed his own bowling was on the last day of the tied fourth Test against India at Old Trafford in July.

He afterwards missed the fifth Test at The Oval with a shoulder injury.

Stokes has a reputation of driving himself past breaking point, and it was put to Patel that the captain felt he might have risked injury if he pushed himself any further in Adelaide.

Facing Imminent Loss

England stand on the edge of another loss in Australia, once again probably facing defeat inside the initial three matches of the series.

If the visitors' defeat is completed on Saturday's fourth day, it would mean the destination of the Ashes has been determined in 10 days – the opening two matches were over in short periods respectively.

Not since 1921, when Australia needed only eight days of play to win in England, has the victor of an Ashes series been decided this quickly.

A Formidable Challenge

If a first goal is to extend this match into a final day, England will also have to achieve the highest successful chase at the Adelaide Oval to keep the series alive.

"I remain convinced there's an chance for us," stated Patel. "It will be difficult, we're going to need something magical. I think it's high time we witnessed something special from us."

"Three games in, we've landed some blows but taken a lot. It's about time, now we're with our backs to the wall, to fight back fiercely."