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England's captain Ben Stokes is reportedly "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 utilized 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 spent over five hours at the wicket across two days to score 83 runs in England's initial batting effort.

A Grueling Innings

Throughout his extended 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 hitting his head on the turf while attempting a stop.

"He might be a little fatigued and just require some time to himself right now," stated Patel.

"Based on my knowledge, he's pretty fit to bowl. I think he's just pretty knackered and he's expended a great deal out of himself to reach this point in the game."

Injury History Scrutiny

Considering his chequered injury history – Stokes has not been fully available in any of England's last four series – any indication the star all-rounder might be carrying a problem draws considerable scrutiny.

Always keen to be in the thick of the action, Stokes' decision not to bowl on Friday was puzzling given it was England's final opportunity to stay in the Ashes series.

At trailing 2-0 and requiring a victory in Adelaide to keep their aspirations of winning back the Ashes intact, England had conceded a first-innings lead of 85 runs.

"All I know is he goes 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 probably where he's at."

The visiting side could have stayed within the match by dismissing Australia for around 240 in their second innings and had faint chances at 53-2 and 149-4, only for the home team to pull away through Travis Head's unbeaten 142.

Although England bowled 66 overs, Stokes chose not to bowl.

"He abstained from bowling but that's perhaps a separate conversation with him," said former New Zealand international 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."

Precedent and Pressure

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

He afterwards was absent for the fifth Test at The Oval with a shoulder problem.

Stokes has a reputation of pushing his body 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.

On the Brink of Defeat

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 tourists' loss is sealed on day four, it would mean the destination of the Ashes has been decided in 10 days – the first and second Tests were over in two and four days 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 Daunting Task Ahead

If a first goal is to prolong the game into a fifth day, England will also have to achieve the greatest run-chase at the Adelaide Oval to keep the series ongoing.

"I remain convinced there's an chance for us," said Patel. "It won't be easy, we're going to need something extraordinary. I think it's high time we saw something special from us."

"After three matches, we've landed some blows but taken a lot. It's about time, now we're with our backs to the wall, to throw some haymakers."